On the cross, Christ was stripped of his former glory. He was utterly humiliated. His head with the crown of thorns was bowed down with shame. There he made himself nothing! There he humbled himself unto death. Yet he was not without hope. He had the confidence of verse Psalm 3:3 in his heart. The Lord was his shield. The Lord would bestow glory on him again. He would lift up his head. The cross, death—they would not be the end of him. The Lord would lift up his head and that is just what happened on Easter Sunday as he rose gloriously and victorious from the dead!

And neither are we without hope, especially now that Christ has died and risen again for us! God, in Christ, is our shield too. He surrounds us with his protection, with his care. When we are humiliated, when we have to hold our heads in shame as our enemies seek to destroy our reputation, we can look to the Lord. He bestows his glory on those who love him, on those who seek their lives outside of themselves in Jesus. Yes, no matter how low your head hangs in shame, no matter how humiliated you’ve been, in and through Christ you can rest assured that he will lift your head up high and he will make you glorious. For he—Christ—is your glory!